Device for practicing golf strokes



Feb. 11, 1958 J. P. WHITE 2,823,038

DEVICE FOR PRACTICING GOLF STROKES Filed Jan. 50, 1957 INVENTOR. JAMESP. WHITE BY 4& wy fl ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 2,823,038 DEVICEFOR PRACTICING GOLF STROKES James P. White, Chicago, Ill. ApplicationJanuary 30, 1957, Serial No. 637,225 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-197) Thisinvention relates to devices for practicing golf strokes.

Heretofore such devices have generally included a standard or heavierweight practice ball mounted at the end of a swivel arm having a journalnot capable of longitudinal movement. With such devices the rotationalinertia was so great as to require an inordinate amount of time inreturning to a rest position, and it also was not generally feasible topractice with clubs of great loft, since the journal did not havelongitudinal movement.

According to the present invention the practice ball is made of a verylight weight and hollow elastic material so as greatly to reduce therotational inertia. Moreover, the practice ball has a number of largeperforations or openings so that a degree of resistance is afforded tothe movement about its swiveling axis, more than would be possible witha smooth ball. The swivel arm is made very light to reduce itsrotational inertia, and its journal arranged for movement along its axisso that clubs of large loft can be used with the device.

With the foregoing considerations in mind it is a principal object ofthe invention to provide an improved device for practicing golf strokes.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparentfrom a study of the specification following taken with the drawing whichtogether describe and illustrate a preferred embodiment of the inventionand what is now considered to be the best mode of practicing theprinciples thereof. Other embodiments may be suggested to those havingthe benefit of the teachings herein and such other embodiments areintended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope andspirit of the subjoined claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an improved device for practicing golfstrokes constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 lookingin the direction of. the arrows and showing details of a journal supportfor a device shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, the improved golf practice deviceaccording to the present invention is indicated generally by thereference numeral and includes an elongated support 11 having a pointedlower end 12 thereon so that the support may be inserted in the turf 13or the like.

A swivel arm 14 extends at right angles to the support 11, and has ajournal 16 extending at right angles thereof, said journal extendingaxially of a bore 17 in the support 11. As seen in Fig. 3 the journal 16has the 2,823,038 Patented Feb. 11, 1958 lower end bent over as at 18 tolimit the upward movement in the bore 17, the limit of movement beingaccomplished by a shoulder 19 formed at the juncture of the bore 17 andan enlarged bore 21 in the support 11.

The dimensions of the journal 16 and the bent over portion 18 are suchthat the bent over portion can be pushed through the bore 17 to theposition seen in Fig. 3.

The swivel arm 14 affords a support for a lightweight tube 22 preferablymade of plastic material resistant to impact. A hollow lightweightpractice ball 23 has a pair of aligned apertures 24 and 26 so that theball is freely supported on the lightweight tube 22. As seen in theseveral views the ball 23 has a number of perforations 27 therein whichserve to increase the resistance of movement of the ball 23 whenswiveling about the support 11 on the arm 14. A stop 28 is provided atthe end of the arm 14 to hold the practice ball 23 upon the tube 22 atall times.

In operation the device is placed in the turf as seen in Fig. 1, and byproperly stroking a golf club the ball 23 can freely swivel about thesupport 11. For the use of clubs having a large loft, a component offorce is directed against the ball 23, and this component of force willlift the arm 14 and the ball 23, so that the journal 16 can freely movein the bore 17. Such upward movement of the arm 14 will be limited bythe stop 18 at the end of the journal 16.

All of the rotating parts of the device disclosed herein are extremelylight in weight, thereby reducing greatly the rotational inertia of thedevice. For such reason, the ball 23 will rapidly come to rest afterhaving been stroked. Moreover, the construction disclosed herein permmreadily the use of clubs having a large amount of loft and the swivelarm can raise in the support when being stroked by a club of suchnature.

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment thereof, its scope is intended to be limited only by theclaim here appended.

I claim as my invention:

A device for practicing golf strokes comprising an elongated support, apointed lower end thereon whereby said support may readily be insertedin the turf, an axial bore in said support, a swivel arm extendingsubstantially at right angles to said support and having a journal atright angles to said arm arranged to freely rotate in said axial bore,and a bent over portion on said journal at the lower end thereof tolimit the axial movement upward of said journal, a hollow lightweightpractice ball supported on said swivel arm, said swivel arm passingthrough aligned apertures in said practice ball, perforations therein toprovide resistance to movement of said practice ball when swiveling withsaid swivel arm, and a stop at the end of said swivel arm to hold thepractice ball on said swivel arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,483,165 Eaton Feb. 12, 1924 1,579,294 Fisk Apr. 6, 1926 1,862,044White June 7, 1932 2,219,732 Armstrong Oct. 29, 1940 2,514,093 RoystonJuly 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 210,218 Great Britain Ian. 31. 1924

